UPDATED: Tempers flare as Frady tables tax shift plan

Tue, 06/14/2011 - 5:27pmJohn Munford

UPDATED for print version — When Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown came to Thursday night’s commission meeting, he had planned to ask his fellow commissioners to pursue a referendum that would allow transportation sales tax dollars to be shifted towards either paying off debt or helping the county’s general fund.

Instead, Brown was told his presentation would have to wait two weeks, after Commission Chairman Herb Frady objected to Brown providing a written document about the presentation minutes before, instead of a two weeks-in-advance requirement under county policy.

“I haven’t seen this before, and I don’t know what’s in this, and we don’t really allow that to happen,” Frady said, adding that the matter would be tabled until the commission’s next meeting “so we’ll all have a chance to look at it.”

A frustrated Brown strongly disagreed, contending the papers he provided commissioners were merely “notes” from a PowerPoint presentation he was to make. Brown said he was providing the notes so the commissioners could follow along with the presentation.

A motion that would have allowed Brown to give the presentation failed 3-2, as commissioners Robert Horgan and Lee Hearn voted against along with Chairman Frady. Only commissioner Allen McCarty voted with Brown to allow the presentation to take place.

Both Horgan and Hearn agreed with Frady’s contention, saying they wanted more time to look over Brown’s proposal.

At one point, the crowd of more than 100 became so unruly that Frady threatened to clear the room.

After Frady continued with the rest of the agenda, Brown stood up and began to pack up his laptop and other items as if he was leaving the meeting early. And in a matter of minutes, he took issue with a question that fellow Commissioner Hearn was trying to ask of county staff about House Bill 240, the very topic of which Brown had been prevented from speaking.

The difference is that Hearn was asking the question during the “commissioners reports” section of the agenda, and there is no policy requiring that he provide information in writing in advance.

That didn’t stop Brown from protesting, though.

“If he’s going to ask the question, then I have not been given a copy of that question prior to him asking it,” Brown said in a loud voice as many in the crowd applauded their support. “So I would like to table Mr. Hearn’s commissioner’s report please. According to the rules we were just provided.”

Hearn explained he wanted Bennett to provide the commission information about what it can and can’t do under the legislation.

That sent Brown over the edge.

“Oh, wait a minute now, we’re going to have another discussion? I cannot discuss House Bill 240 and you’re going to have a discussion on HB 240?”

Frady banged his gavel loudly several times in an attempt to restore order.

“Order, Mr. Brown, or you’ll have to leave the room,” Frady said.

“I’ll do it right now, thank you!” Brown replied.

“Good,” Frady interrupted.

“Because that is absolutely freaking ridiculous,” Brown continued. “You’re going to have him do a lecture on House Bill 240 and I can’t speak.”

As Brown picked up his things and began to walk off, Frady asked the county marshal to escort him out.

As Brown left through a side door, he muted his voice significantly and said: “That is a joke.”

With Brown’s exit, a disgusted group of more than 100 citizens left the meeting in protest as well.

“See you in two weeks!” shouted one member of the crowd.

“It’s a dictatorship,” hollered another.

The commission waited several minutes for the room to clear before resuming the final few minutes of the meeting.

Days after the meeting, Brown posted on TheCitizen.com that he submitted the agenda item “with an appropriate explanation of my item.”

Furthermore, Brown contended, his “intentions” regarding the budget were passed along to all commissioners in a May 24 memo from County Manager Jack Krakeel.

After his presentation to his fellow county commissioners was postponed two weeks, an indignant Steve Brown walked out of Thursday night’s commission meeting.

A largely disgusted audience, which became unruly to the point that Chairman Herb Frady threatened to clear the room, left in solidarity with Brown.

It was a theatrical ending to what will surely be remembered as one of the ugliest exchanges in recent Fayette political history.

The fracas began as the commission was to hear Brown extol the virtues of shifting the county’s transportation sales tax funds away from road projects toward the county’s general fund via a public referendum allowed by a new state law.

Before Brown could begin, Commission Chairman Herb Frady announced that since Brown had failed to provide his supporting written documentation two weeks in advance as required by county policy, the matter would be tabled until the next meeting.

“No sir,” Brown exclaimed in reply.

Brown then explained that he had provided the written material to his fellow commissioners as a courtesy, and he insisted that he followed county policy on putting the matter on the agenda.

Frady insisted that Brown was wrong, and noted that he had not had time to read the 20-page document.

“You did not follow procedure and we are not going to hear this tonight,” Frady said.

“This is just not right,” Brown retorted.

Moments later, Brown said: “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“I haven’t either,” Frady replied.

Soon after, Brown authored a motion to override the tabling and authorize his presentation, but it failed 3-2, with commissioners Robert Horgan, Lee Hearn and Frady voting against.

In reply, Brown gasped in exasperation and asked Frady to cite the policy. Frady called upon county staff to read it.

The policy states that for agenda items, commissioners are required to submit documentation pertinent to the request when it is placed on the agenda two weeks in advance. Instead, Brown only shared the information minutes before the meeting, according to Frady, Horgan and Hearn.

The information shared by Brown was not a part of the county commission’s “meeting packet” which is published on its website several days prior to the commission meetings.

County Attorney Scott Bennett said under the policy, it was up to the commission to determine if the information Brown submitted “was pertinent to the request” and when it was received.

After Brown’s motion failed and the meeting moved on, Brown belligerently interrupted Hearn as Hearn attempted to ask a question of county staff during the commissioners reports section of the agenda.

Brown argued that Hearn should not be allowed to speak because Hearn didn’t provide his comments ahead of time.

It devolved to the point where Frady threatened to have Brown escorted away by a county marshal, and Brown replied that he was leaving on his own accord. He left through a side door.

Nearly the entire audience left in unison with Brown, and Frady waited for them to leave so the meeting could continue.

After the meeting, Frady said he had no problem with Brown making his presentation at the next meeting. Hearn concurred, saying he thought it would be fair for the entire commission to have Brown’s information in advance so it can be rebutted if necessary.

Comments

My understanding was that he wanted to speak on it. Not have a vote that night on it. A big difference. He told them 2 weeks ahead of time. My understanding was he gave them a copy of the new bill that was passed as a courtesy that night. They should have looked that up ahead of time themselves.

of a meeting? Shouldn't they have pulled a copy and read it themselves?

"The fracas began as the commission was to hear Brown extol the virtues of shifting the countyâ€™s transportation sales tax funds away from road projects toward the countyâ€™s general fund via a public referendum allowed by a new state law.

Before Brown could begin, Commission Chairman Herb Frady announced that since Brown had failed to provide his supporting written documentation two weeks in advance as required by county policy, the matter would be tabled until the next meeting."

If you do get the money changed to the general treasury instead of for roads, here is what I want of it:

A new car--mine is getting old.
And, some new clothes, I look ragged.
And, pay my water, sewer and run-off bills.
Free cheese, macaroni, powdered milk, powdered eggs, and canned fruits and vegetables, day old bread, off the back of a truck every Saturday morning at the City Hall area.

Having been seated for six months, Mr Brown simply hasn't learned that when facing an uphill trek, one should be rock solid sure about each step he takes. Without doing so, he embarrasses himself, disappoints his supporters, and proves himself incapable of working with those of opposing views. Some would go so far as characterizing him as childish.

Rules apply to all, and Mr Brown knows this, but grandstanding is his trademark. He knows full well that he has little chance in stopping the WFB, and has known this long before being elected. His only hope to place it to the voters would be to convince one of the three other members of the commission, but to date he has done little to win them to his side. Instead, he has ostracized each of the three, and in my opinion a fourth will soon tire of his behavior.

With all the drama being produced locally by film makers, maybe Steve will get his own reality show.,

I would argue that respect first must be earned and other than perhaps Mr McCarty the four other commissioners have done little toward that end. You are correct in that we are neighbors, but keep in mind that the best neighbors are separated by good fences.

Mr Brown was elected primarily by convincing his supporters that he could stop the West Fayette Bypass, a task he knew full well he could not stop without the support of at least one of the other three commissioners. That said, can you name one instance where he has 'reached out' for help? I think not. No Mr Brown's finesse is certainly not the issue, the issue was and still is can Mr Brown accomplish what he set out to do and his track record simply is not that good..

The foolish ones, I'm afraid are folks like yourself who continue to provide the audience for Steve's grandstanding.

He is subject to the same stipulations as the other commissioners, and he is on record chiding them for it. What goes around, comes around.

You should have realized that when we saw a startled Commisioner Brown upon learning he was not elected Chairman of the Commission that the childish behavior would begin. I may be dating myself, but I have seen a time when a trip to the woodshed would have prevented your need for rope.

We agree that there is certainly room for improvement with each of the commissioners. My point being that perhaps someone other than Steve could have made progress by now, but when we look at the field of candidates we end up choosing what we perceive to be the lesser of two evils.

I always thought fences had more to do with animals than people but I guess you know more abut them than I do! And I never saw a gate that swung both ways either, but since I don't like fences at all, I'm a tad light in experience. I do, however, have some experience with foolish,childish behavior (what 1SG doesn't?) and I am seeing plenty of that at County Commission meetings. So much, in fact, that we constituents should be embarrassed by those we elected and ashamed for other citizens inthe state t see how ridiculous the situation is--and we brought it all upon ourselves! Meanwhile, back to PT City Council meetings!

By not showing Steve Brown any respect, they are insulting us as well because we elected him to do our wishes.

The other 3 councilman's real problem is not if Steve Brown didn't try to win them over. It is that they don't know how to explain themselves.

Hearn, Horgan, and Frady, have no people skills.

They have bought themselves 2 weeks by having Brown escorted out. But at the next meeting they will have to let Brown speak. Then they are going to have to explain in an open meeting why they don't want to re purpose that money to help the taxpayers out. This would be quite a feat of the most silver tongued politician. These 3 are deffinatly not up to the task.

Brown is wanting to help the county and the taxpayers with the new law that recognizes the financial crisis we are in. That money has to be re appropriated or one of only 2 things can happen, we will be taxed more or many county workers will loose their jobs.

You are speaking from a preconceived notion and third party information.

The people in Fayette County now have a voice in what happens in this county. Before, business was literally conducted from a back room.

The commission meeting room was filled Thursday night. We all went because we wanted to hear and see Commissioner Brown's presentation pertaining to the budget.

During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Chairman Frady continually tried to prevent the audience from applauding the speakers by rapping his little wooden hammer on his desk.

Frady, Horgan, Hearn, McCarty, and Brown are employed by the people of this county. When 200+ citizens left the meeting Thursday night, we were giving Herb Frady a poor job performance review and Steve Brown a good job performance review.

If you had been there, you would have seen the expressions on Scott Bennett's and Jack Krakeel's faces when they were asked to read the regulations. Bennett couldn't find the regulations on his computer and it took Krakeel almost three minutes to find them. After many "What do I do, now" looks from Bennett and Krakeel, Bennett finally said that he didn't know what information Mr. Brown had provided the other commissioners so only they could speak as to whether or not it was enough information in the proper amount of time.

Obviously, Frady, Horgan, and Hearn have a problem with visual aids.

As a matter of procedure, if any of the commissioners had a problem, the problem should have been addressed when the Agenda was called for approval. The visual aid material was sitting on each commissioner's desk long before the meeting started. However, the Agenda was called for approval and it was approved. Everyone in that audience expected to see Mr. Brown's presentation. The problem came when Frady denied the presentation after having approved it.

If you will obtain a copy of the CD, you will hear that the audience was first to voice disapproval of Mr. Frady's actions.

You have no clue as to any of my "preconceived notion" nor do you know of my sources.

What you fail to understand is that each of the FIVE commissioners are 'empowered' by the citizens of Fayette County to act on their behalf, they are not employed by them. Realize also that there are some 96,000 citizens of Fayette that for the most part wish this saga to be over and done. Do you deny that any material brought before the commission requires a two week notice?

If you and the remainder of Mr Brown's ardent followers would understand that in order to get something done one has to have support of the majority of the five. Pissing off that majority only serves to ostracize and alienate, regardless of cause.

Just so you know, both the West and East Bypasses are, in my opinion, are a total waste of tax revenue and ill advised under the current economic climate. Getting the project on the ballot is the only viable way of stopping it currently, and rants, pouts, and childish behavior simply will not get the job done.

How damn difficult is for the small amount of sheeple in FC to start thinking for themselves instead of having Steve Brown tell them what to think? I swear they think he's the next messiah.

When the same guy was complaining about the FC commissioners not following their own procedures(and he was right), do you not think that MAYBE he would also put words into action and do the same? Nahhhhhh...it's OK, it's Steve, and he'd rather the EFB folks get screwed instead of the WFB homeowners. Oh wait, scratch that just like every other Steve Brown position in history, NOW we'll do something else totally different despite never mentioning it before.

Getting it on the ballot does seem the only way to stop it. However, that will never happen. To get on the ballot it would have to be voted for by the Commissioners, that isn't going to happen. Secondly, if it were on the ballot, that would still give them another year and a half to spend the money that needs to be diverted to other expenses to relive the taxpayers and save county workers jobs. In a year and a half, the by pass will be finished.

It could happen with someone of substance and the wherewithal to convince just one additional member. The voters of Fayette brought this upon themselves back in 2003/4, and to stop it requires voters to approve via referendum. It's simply the law.

Mr McCarty has a much better chance of making this happen, but it would require Steve to sit down and shut the hell up so as to allow the adults in the room to speak.

The five commissioners are paid a salary by the taxpayers of this county. They receive insurance benefits through the taxpayers of this county. If someone receives a salary and insurance benefits, I call that employed.

Some people might consider themselves "empowered," however if they receive a salary and insurance benefits they are employed.

Yes, I do deny that any material brought before the commission requires a two week notice.

I have, personally, presented the commission with material to use as a visual aid as I spoke during the Public Comment portion of a commission meeting.

Commissioner Brown made his request to have his presentation placed on the Agenda MORE THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE MEETING. IN THAT REQUEST, COMMISSIONER BROWN STATED THE SUBJECT OF THE AGENDA ITEM HE WANTED TO PRESENT.

Obviously, his request was granted because his Agenda Item appeared on the printed Agenda that was made available to the public before the meeting started.

Commissioner Brown placed his visual aid pages on the desks of the other commissioners at least an hour before the meeting started.

Chairman Frady called the meeting to order. Commissioner Hearn prayed. The entire room stood for the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Chairman Frady called for a vote to approve or disapprove the Agenda. It was as that point the commissioners could have approved or disapproved of the Agenda, if they had a problem with Commissioner Brown's presentation. THE AGENDA WAS APPROVED!

At one point during the meeting, Commissioner Allen McCarty addressed the fact that the sound system in the room leaves a lot to be desired. Having been in broadcasting most of his life, Commissioner McCarty stated that the configuration of the room makes it extremely difficult to have an adequate sound system. He said that it would be very expensive to change the sound system and taking into consideration that the budget is inadequate at the present time we should wait on a new sound system.

Having taken the sound system into consideration, Commissioner Brown very graciously provided visual aids to accompany his oral presentation. There was nothing outside the scope of what had previously been approved. However, Commissioner Brown wasn't even given the opportunity to establish that fact. The audience asked the three commissioners to look through the visual aids before denying the presentation.

More than 200 people attended that meeting because of their interest in our county budget problems. The audience wanted to see Commissioner Brown's presentation.

Mike, it is a well known and established fact that Frady, Horgan, and Hearn will support the West Bypass no matter what. They have been spending SPLOST money as fast as possible because they knew that Commissioner Brown planned to present a proposal to utilize the new HB-240 law to help all Fayette citizens from having to pay increased property taxes.

Our previous commission passed over collapsing roads, crumbling bridges, breathing equipment, maintenance issues with vehicles, equipment, the old jail and within the commission building. Deficit budgeting will certainly get the West Bypass built and raise our property taxes at the same time.

The previous commission passed over those budget items in order to run on a reserves platform.

The previous commission, however, days before leaving office granted large pay raises to county employees without placing those raises on the Agenda.

At the beginning of the meeting, the commissioners voted to approve the agenda. They had been given Commissioner Brown's PowerPoint package prior to doing that. None of the "3 amigos" objected at that time to any presentational parameters.

It wasn't until it was time to make the presentation that Frady cast his usual stumbling blocks and disallowed the presentation. At that point, Hearn and Horgan also stated that they had just received the package and also wanted more time. Commissioner Brown stated that he did not incorporate the word "discuss" into the published agenda, and it never was his intention to conduct a discussion. He only wanted to make his presentation more understandable.

PowerPoint slides are simply visual aids to help the audience understand what's being said.The county, itself, makes such presentations to the commissioners (i.e. the West Bypass Alignment) . Consultants like Mallet Consulting also make such presentations to the commissioners or the public showing their concepts of Fayette County's future transportation plans.

Commissioner Brown had been given the green light to speak. It is borrowing trouble for Chairman Frady to assume that his PowerPoint presentation would go beyond what he was going to say anyway. PowerPoint presentations have been very effective as a learning tool, or visual aid. They make oral communications clearer and much more effective. Mr. Frady could have at least waited until the first projection appeared, and then created an objection if he could find one.

Chairman Frady, Vice Chairmen Horgan and Hearn have effectively built a "three log jam" to block the infusion of transparency in our county government. You really have to go back a long while to find any voting measure that passed when Mr. Frady voted against it. You have to go back even further to find a measure that failed where he voted for it. So basically, we could remove the other four commissioners and get the same results. As Mr. Frady speaks, so goes Fayette County.

It's a rock-solid defense against change. Brown and McCarty have been mathematically denied any opportunity of breaking the three logs apart on voting issues.

You'd think they would want to be a bit less obvious about what they're doing. And its only going to get worse. Much worse.

You have an agenda item..submit your documentation etc. 2 weeks prior to the meeting where it will be discussed. If the situation was reversed with another Commish doing the same, he'd be the first to be howling like a stuck pig if they didn't follow the procedures.

Between your hysterical nonsense about the FC schools and now this, you obviously don't pay any attention to what goes on around you or reality.

Before Brown was even elected he was whining about the existing morons on the FC commission for NOT FOLLOWING THEIR OWN ORDINANCES and then he goes and does the same thing, but it's "all OK" because you happen to agree with the immature jackass. We already saw this over and over in PTC, but since you hate PTC, you have zero historical reference since you never paid any attention in the first place.

After 40 years in FC, I can tell you from experience that Fayette has an abundance of ignorant people with very loud mouths who pay attention for about 5 minutes to any local issue and then go back to sleep and are hopelessly uninformed.

I'll likely ask roundabout first as he's seemingly more mentally acute than you are. Go whine some more about your "50%" stupidity in regards to FC schools that showed you have no idea whatsoever about what you blather about.

Every audience member who attended last night's commission meeting did so because THEY WANTED to hear what Commissioner Brown had to say about the budget.

There are some WAY OFF BASE folks responding to this article.

Commissioner Brown presented his subject matter for inclusion to the Agenda MORE than two weeks prior to the meeting. He had discussed the subject matter (HB-240 and the budget) with County Administrator Jack Krakeel on May 24th which was the last day of county budget meetings.

Every last member of the BOC and the Staff were more than well aware of the subject matter that Mr. Brown intended to cover. I can't believe that a visual aid threw them for a loop.

If Chairman Frady, Horgan, and Hearn had a problem with the visual aid packets which were provided well before the meeting started, as a matter of procedure, one of them should have addressed that before the vote to approve the Agenda was called.

AS A CITIZEN OF FAYETTE COUNTY, CHAIRMAN FRADY OWES ME AN APOLOGY. HE OWES THE PEOPLE OF FAYETTE COUNTY AN APOLOGY.

I have been attending County Commission Meetings for more than 2 1/2 years on a regular basis. I have witnessed many citizens provide PowerPoint presentations during the Public Comment portion of commission meetings. It never presented a problem when an audience member stepped to the podium and said they wanted to place material on the screens

There was NOTHING childish or egotistical about Commissioner Brown's conduct last night.

Chairman Frady's EGOTISTICAL HISSY FIT was the only reprehensible conduct in the room.

Frady, Horgan, and Hearn couldn't muster up a teaspoonful of respect among the three of them. They have no respect for the office they hold or the people of Fayette County. Their allegiance is tethered somewhere in a back room.

When Frady became Chairman of our commission, someone gave him a little wooden hammer and I can't think of one single commission meeting since then that he hasn't banged his little wooden hammer on his little wooden desk about one thing or another. He uses that little wooden hammer when the audience has the nerve to applaud. I have seen him bang his little wooden hammer if a member of the audience tries to finish a sentence when their 5 minutes are up during the Public Comment portion of the commission meetings.

Had Frady, Horgan, or Hearn cared anything about Fayette County or her citizens, Commissioner Brown's presentation would have taken place.

When Frady, Horgan, and Hearn raise our property taxes so that Hearn's baby PORKWAY can benefit a "HANDFUL" of developers, we will see who squeals the loudest.

Frady had the police escort him out. The theatrics were Frady's, not Steve Brown's. Brown was going under his own steam or Frady was going to have him drug out by the police. He had no choice.

There were 200 people there that watched and felt Frady was wrong, so wrong in fact, they all got up and left our of compasion for Brown and outrage at Frady.

Again, these were not bottle throwing malcontents as they sound in the paper. This was the Mayor of Tyrone and Tyrone's town council and their families as well as many other upstanding citizens. There have been former Fayette county council people seen in the 'rowdy' crowd in the past weeks. There have been many people come sit in to see for themselves. I for one. We have all come away with pretty much the same opinion. 3 of the county Commissioners are marching to a drum beat that is not the taxpayers.

I have attended 99.99% of Fayette Commission Meetings for the last 2 1/2 years.

I am here to tell you that the problem this past Thursday night had absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Brown.

Problems with the Fayette Commission started when former Chairman Jack Smith took office.

Jack Smith, Eric Maxwell, Herb Frady, Robert Horgan, and Lee Hearn literally ran this county from a back room. Literally!!

They held illegal meetings. One of those meetings appears on YouTube.

They stopped publishing proper minutes of the meetings.

They added items to the Agenda during the meetings. Those items never appeared on the Agenda.

I have a list as long as my arm.

Frady, Horgan, and Hearn are conducting business just like it was conducted when Smith and Maxwell were there. The only difference now is the citizens got tired of it, are attending commission meetings, and are speaking up for their rights. Before Steve Brown and Allen McCarty took office, there may have been three or four citizens in the audience.

As advocates for the people, Steve Brown and Allen McCarty have been able to give the citizens a voice where they never had a voice under Jack Smith. Unless you have lived under a tyrant or attended commission meetings under Smith or Frady's leadership, you couldn't know what those of us who have been attending these meetings for many years know.

Steve Brown has consistently, without fail, represented the people's interests from the day he started running for office.

Life, you and a few others don't seem to grasp the concept, but Steve Brown is protecting your rights, also. You need to participate and get your facts right.

It is obvious that you weren't there!

The citizens will never go back to allowing county employees run roughshod over us ever again.

I GUESS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME FOLKS WHO JUST DON'T CARE IF THEIR PUBLIC OFFICIALS TAX THIS COUNTY INTO OBSCURITY. SOME OF US DO CARE, HOWEVER. SOME OF US DO CARE THAT A HANDFUL OF BACK ROOM POLITICIANS CAN BULLDOZE OUR HOMES, DESTROY OUR PROPERTY AND FINANCES IN FAVOR OF THEIR DEVELOPER FRIENDS AND POLITICAL CONNECTIONS. SOME FOLKS JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED AND THEY LOOK THE OTHER WAY WHEN GOOD OLD BOY POLITICIANS LIE TO THE PUBLIC AND SPEND OUR MONEY TO SUIT THEMSELVES. IT'S EASIER TO SIT IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER SCREEN AND GET INFORMATION THIRD OR FOURTH HAND.

As long as we allow politicians to continually pay the debt forward, as I witnessed them do on Thursday night, people will continue to lose their homes to foreclosure and the politicians will continue to bleed this county, state and country dry.

He was asked to leave--he left without causing a big scene. So, to some on here he was grandstanding. If he had insisted on staying and causing a problem, he would have been castigated. With several people here if the sun is shining Steve Brown is making the sun shine too brightly, if it's raining--Steve Brown caused the rain. Whatever the subject they always find a way to bring in Steve Brown's name. Regardless if Brown is an egotist or not, he isn't trying to throw his constituents under the bus as others on the commission seem bent on doing. I would suggest these several people on here who know how to handle every situation better run for office and show us how it should be done. Let your actions speak louder than your words.

Brown wasn't escorted out of the meeting nor was he told he had to leave. He left in a huff and the revisionist history from those who were actually at the meeting like I was(sorry, didn't leave when the the sheeple did) astounds me.

Frady threatened the out of order jackass with removal if he didn't shut up and stop interrupting Lee Hearn and then he took his ball and went home.

I have little respect for Frady, Horgan and a even less that that for Hearn, but Steve Brown ain't your friend there either.

EDIT: When Steve Brown does something to earn respect, he'll maybe get it. Until then, he might want to learn from the old adage of "you give respect, you get it." The guy is a total clown and attacker of everyone else even when he's RIGHT and that makes him a joke except for the few cult-followers who ironically didn't live in PTC while he was citizen-nuisance and later Mayor. Strange how that goes...hmmm.

That's OK, you have a guy with half the intelligence of Brown as Mayor of PTC right now, so the baseline of people like Jack Smith, Maxwell, Haddix, FC Commission, etc does put Steve in a better light when he's surrounded by a group of inept buffoons, but it's reasonable to expect something better.

All of the Fayetteville Comissioners are of no value and dumb, and PTCs Mayor is worse! So you and a few others continally say!

You don't realize how lucky you are to have a few politicans who aren't constantly saying stuff they don't believe in!

They don't say stuff like "Oh, you are so right"---and then after voting the other way, makeup some excuse as to why!

Like Deal saying no new taxes before election, then passing on stopping a substantial gasoline tax. He said the legislature was at fault--he had the authoriy to stop it right in the bill! This guy is a "dude" he still backs Newton!

So, some of you all elected Brown to change things and this is it?
He walks out of a meeting because he didn't follow Frady's rules?
Wow! That's progress.
What's he going to do next - burn himself up like a Buddist Monk?

Once again we were treated to a theatrical display by Steve Brown when he didn't get his way. If he truly believed in what he was presenting, he would have stayed in the Commission meeting, followed the rules, the Chairman's directions, and make his presentation at the next meeting. Instead we get a display of his lack of Substance and a bunch of Symbolism when he left.